In passenger side airbag restraint systems, the airbag reaction canister is mounted behind the vehicle's instrument panel. A portion of the instrument panel forms a deployment door which is designed to break away under the influence of the inflating airbag. It is crucial to the airbag operation that the door completely separates from the instrument panel and moves out of the way of the inflating bag. However, it is also important that the door fit snugly into the instrument panel so as to present an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
It has been difficult to achieve these objectives during the vehicle assembly or upon airbag replacement. This has been due to the fact that the snap fastening means required relatively precise positioning to assure proper alignment of the door. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a snap fastening system which permits substantial flexibility between a connector on the reaction can and a connector on the door but holds the door firmly in position on installation by the assembler. Another object is to permit the breakaway force to be varied for different installations. Other objects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims.